Princess of Desolation
by NeverInLove.AlwaysInLust
Summary: Once upon a time, Beth Greene found herself in the middle of a deadly kingdom. While trying to find her way, she ends up discovering a lot more in herself. Now she has to find a way to juggle her feelings about life, loss, and most important love. This is a definitely going to be a Bethyl fiction. Hope you enjoy it! I am horrible at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**"O**nce upon a time, there was a beautiful, blonde princess who ruled over a kingdom far, far away. She ruled over it for quite a time, raising horses, and taking care of her beautiful garden. In it she kept roses, fruits, and different vegetables. The princess loved her life, but she felt very lonely in her life. Three days before the princess was to turn sixteen, a plague flew across the land, making it desolate and dark. It was only then that the princess found-"

A small snore interrupted her story, making Beth look down and smile softly. Judith was asleep with her small arms wrapped around her stuffed bunny. Very carefully, Beth stood up, stretching her tired legs out before she walked out of the room. She yawned before walking into the living room where everyone else was sleeping. A sound in the corner of the room caused her to jump out of her skin, turning her attention to it. There, next to the fireplace stood Daryl. Her eyes dropped immediately and she walked to her sleeping bag, curling into it for the night.

Instead of sleep, the thoughts plagued her. Their reunion wasn't as memorable as she had hoped. The hospital that she was locked up in for the few months they were apart had ended up being a mass grave for quite a few of the family that they had left. The one that put him back in his shell was Carol's death. She had reunited with them almost immediately after they escaped Terminus, only to be killed months later in what used to be the reception room at the hospital. While Beth wasn't the one to kill her in the first place, she was the one to put her down, making it impossible for Daryl to even look at her anymore.

She knew he didn't blame her, but she also knew that he was the one who wanted to end her misery. He felt like she stole that from him. Only reason she knew this was because he told her so. He told her it wouldn't be forever, but he didn't know when he could forgive her. So for the past six weeks or so, she avoided looking at him, avoided going anywhere near him. Shuddering, she wrapped the blanket around her further before sleep finally found her.

The next morning, she awoke to Rick shaking her shoulders softly. Sleepily, she looked up at him and offered a small smile.

"It's time for us to move," he said softly, "Tara will help you get Judith's stuff together while we take care of everything else."

She nodded and stood up, raising her arms over her head to stretch. Lost in her thoughts, she made her way to the back room where Judith's things were, bumping into someone. She forced her eyes up and caught herself staring into the dark, stormy eyes of Daryl. "Sorry," she mumbled softly before starting to walk away. A calloused hand landed softly on her shoulder and she looked back up.

"Hey," he said gruffly, "I'm um... yeah, sorry for being an ass. You know I don't blame you."

She nodded and gave him a timid smile before continuing on.

"Seriously," he said behind her, "I really just want to move past this."

"Ok," she said, not bothering to look behind her, "We will talk later."

She heard a grunt of agreement and went into the room, greeting Tara with a good morning. The brunette smiled and nodded to Beth, picking up the toys that were scattered on the floor. Both girls cleaned swiftly and quietly before going out to meet the rest of the group.


	2. Chapter 2

**"T**he princess wandered around the woods with he friends aimlessly as they searched for somewhere... Anywhere to settle in for the night. The darkness began to settle, when alas! There was a small cottage a few feet to the side of them," Beth whispered softly into Judith's ear. The group came to a stop as Rick held his hand up, fist closed to the stop signal. He and Daryl began to approach the tiny building, weapons raised as they scouted around outside. Maggie and Glenn approached the door with Carl in tow, checking in the dark windows before knocking against the door. Beth watched as they entered the building, leaving her, Tara, and Bob hanging with Abraham and Eugene. Switching Judith to her hip, she refocused her sights on Rick and Daryl. They came back around the other side of the building, nodding to them that it was clear. A few minutes later, the trio in the house came out and waved them in.

Following behind Tara, Beth made her way up the porch stairs and in the front door. It was a cozy looking place with a small living room, a hallway with three other doors, and a tiny kitchen nestled in the back. She handed Judith off to Tara and made her way into the kitchen to check cabinets for supplies. She heard a low whistle and looked up to see Daryl holding up a pack of bottled water from the pantry. A smile graced her lips and she grabbed it from him, setting it upon the dark counter. It finally looked like they got lucky when she procured 10 different cans of vegetables, 4 cans of fruit, and a bulk pack of SPAM hidden in the pantries. Whoever had lived here was fully equipped for whatever it was they were expecting. Checking the last cabinet, she found multiple candles, a flashlight, and a 1lb bag of beef jerky.

Walking out to the group, she displayed her finds and left it to the group to organize. A hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up to see Daryl. He motioned with his head for her to follow him. She gave her head a small nod in agreement. Leading her to the back door, he opened it, looked outside, and then stepped aside for her to walk out.

"So, I really want to apologize for the way I've been acting," he said quietly, "I just needed some time to think."

Beth shrugged and replied, "It's cool. I'm kinda getting use to getting the cold shoulder from people. If you haven't noticed, Bob still hasn't forgiven me for putting Sasha down either."

"Yeah, well, I still haven't forgiven bob for almost getting us killed for his hooch," he stated. Beth snickered before looking up. "What about the bottle of hooch I went chasing? You forgive me for that one?" She asked and looked up at him innocently.

"Eh that was different. You were going through a lot. Bob just wanted it to get wasted for the hell of it," he answered back. He looked up and gave her a half smile. She nudged his shoulder, grateful to have her friend back.

"Listen," his voice dropped to a whisper, "About what I was saying at the house before it all went to hell. I just wanted you to know that it was you that changed my mind. You convinced me that there was still good people. For that, I want to thank you. I frgot what it was like to actually have faith in people. As far as the group goes... You were right. They were alive. For that I owe you another apology."

She nodded slightly and leaned on his shoulder. "You might as well get used to it," she said, "I'm always right."

He snorted, pushing her lightly before standing. "Let's get back inside," he suggested, motioning for the door.

The next morning came too fast for Beth and she groaned when Rick nudged her to wake up. They had to get moving again if the were going to make it out of the state of Georgia by the end of the day. She got up, ate, and gathered Judith and her things, then headed to the door to wait for the rest.

The day dragged along at a snail's pace as the trudged along the woods, following behind Rick and Daryl. Tara and Beth took turns carrying Judith. Tara was helpful as could be when it came to the infant and a friendly person to talk to, so Beth was glad to have her around. The others were growing fond of her as well, but she managed to keep all but Beth at arm's length. By noon, they finally reached the outskirts of Martinez, a small town just 14 miles outside of Augusta. Inching their way around in the woods, they rested at a creek a half mile outside of the town.

Beth passed around the bottles of water, keeping one for herself and Judith. The group sat around and drank in silence, eyes peeled to the woods. A rustling sound caught their ears and they collectively turned to see three walkers stumbling out of the brush. Beth swooped down and grabbed Judith, while the rest readied themselves to fight. It was a short fight, one that was handled swiftly, but they decided then to move on, leaving the bodies of the three walkers behind.


	3. Rest In Peace

**So this is strictly an author's note here, and it had nothing to do with my story. This is to throw a big R.I.P. to Gerard Parkes aka Doc, personally my favorite character in the Boondock Saints movies. You will be missed!**

**Fuck!**

**Ass!**


End file.
